Investigators rule Salem shooting in 2012 murder, suicide

SALEM - State investigators have concluded a husband killed his wife and mother-in-law before turning the gun on himself July 31, 2012, at the 33 Wheeler Ave. home where they all resided.

On that day, police responding to a 911 call about noon and found the body of Jeffrey Kaznecki, 50, lying in the driveway with a .38 caliber revolver on the ground nearby. Inside the home they found the body of his wife, Barbara Kaznecki, 51, and her gravely wounded mother, Shirley Leary, 85, who died on the way to the hospital. Police also found a dog that had been shot to death in the home.

Following autopsies and examination of the physical evidence, investigators concluded Jeffrey Kaznecki, 50, shot the two women and dog before turning the gun on himself.

The couple spoke with their only child the day before the shooting, but the call was routine, according to investigators.

"Their daughter reported to investigators that she noticed nothing unusual about the call either in content or in how her parents spoke," the report states.

As all parties to the incident are deceased, the matter will be closed without further investigation or prosecution, the report concludes.